This past summer, our Charlotte operating group spent their time igniting a passion for the greater good. They volunteered at Campbell Creek Greenway and CMPD Animal Control to help their local community.
Ask our Charlotte team what they did last summer, and they’ll tell you about lending a hand to the causes most meaningful to them, right in the city where they live.
Every year, our Charlotte team’s goal is to give back to the community and to have fun while doing it. This summer, guided by Senior Consultant and Community Steward Maryna Kollar, the Charlotte practice partnered with two vital community organizations, Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Department and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Animal Care & Control, to give back to the greater Charlotte area.
Kollar is passionate about stewardship – volunteering for this position and dedicating herself to other projects at the company.
“Being the Community Service Steward has been a great experience so far. It is very fulfilling to be able to give back to the community while connecting with my coworkers,” Kollar said.
Wanting to organize volunteer events most impactful to both her team and the Charlotte community, Kollar designs and distributes a survey at the beginning of the year. After learning more about her teammates’ passions and community service interests, Kollar organizes three to four (and sometimes more!) events each year.
Kollar, like the rest of the Charlotte team, is a living testament to our core values. Our Charlotte team searches for opportunities to grow closer through service and strives to forge a community that stretches far beyond the office. In addition to inviting National team members who live in and around the Charlotte area to participate, local team members include their family and friends in their efforts, spreading our community-based culture to where it matters most.
In May, the team, along with their loved ones, trekked to Matthews, North Carolina, to assist Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation in their efforts to clean up Campbell Creek Greenway, a popular 6.2-mile biking, running and walking trail.
“The greenway cleanup experience was a great way to spend some time in the outdoors with our friends and co-workers. The effort in and of itself provided healthy time away from the screens which often run our lives. I enjoyed beautifying the parks and trails I often take advantage of. Before this event, I hardly thought about how these spaces are kept so clean and pristine. It was wonderful to be part of making our community’s natural surroundings better for all to enjoy,” says Bert Rodriguez, Senior Consultant for the Charlotte operating group.
In August, a smaller group visited Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Animal Care & Control. Often so busy working to house as many animals as possible, Animal Care & Control needs volunteers to care for the hundreds of already rescued animals.
Hugo Castellon, Manager for Charlotte, notes, “Helping at CMPD Animal Control with my team was a great experience! Being able to help with all the animals was truly touching. The amount of love, care and dedication that CMPD has for animals is truly remarkable.”
Many Charlotte team members welcome the return of volunteer events, which experienced drastic changes like so many other things during the pandemic. Senior Consultant Erica Canipe says, “After being unable to participate in community service events like this because of COVID, it was an especially fun experience to come together to volunteer this summer. It’s rewarding to be a part of an organization like Centric, which values giving back to the community, and I was eager to do so as soon as we could. Our team culture made the event that much more heartwarming. I cannot wait for more events like this to help give back.”
Kollar already has plans in the works, hoping to organize two more volunteer events this year, one in the fall and one in the winter.
About Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Volunteer Services Program
Home to 230 parks and facilities located on more than 21,000 acres of parkland, Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation requires an abundance of people and resources to keep all their locations clean for the public to enjoy.
The Parks and Recreation Volunteer Services Program provides as many opportunities for involvement as the many facilities it supports. Volunteers can become youth sports coaches, program assistants, nature center docents, or project volunteers, or they can supplement internal support for the department by assisting with administrative tasks and spreading awareness of Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation’s mission.
Centric Charlotte joins the ranks of just over 4,800 volunteers who have served the Parks & Recreation Department for 28,500 hours from July 2021 to June 2022, which has added $813,400 to its value.
About Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Animal Care & Control
A nationally recognized animal welfare organization, CMPD’s Animal Care & Control is committed to saving the lives of animals and creating a more animal-friendly community in Charlotte.
Volunteers can assist with AC&C’s mission to provide both animal welfare and animal welfare education to the citizens of Charlotte by serving as a lobby attendants; exercising and socializing animals; doing laundry on-site; cleaning kennels; and assisting with various off-site events, including adoptions, rabies vaccination, microchipping, and spay and neuter clinics.
